Drinking fountain attachment for faucet



1966 'r. SLATER, JR

DRINKING FOUNTAIN ATTACHMENT FOR FAUCET Filed Oct. 2, 1964 FIG 2 THOMAS SLATER JR.

INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS FIG United States Patent 3,265,307 DRINKING FOUNTAIN ATTACHMENT FOR FAUCET Thomas Slater, IL, 14057 32nd NE, Seattle, Wash.

Filed Oct. 2, 1964, Ser. No. 401,119

2 Claims. (Cl. 239-25) This invention relates to improvements in drinking fountain attachments of those kinds or types that are adapted for their ready installation on various types and kinds of sink or basin faucets and which are readily adjustable from their normally closed adjustment to open adjustment for a fountain type discharge of water for drinking incident to a flow of water through the faucet to which the attachment is applied.

It is the principal object of this invention to provide a drinking fountain attachment that is thoroughly sanitary; that is readily applicable to many of the ordinary types of home sink and basin faucets without any interference with their normal uses and which attachment features an operating lever member for effecting the discharge of drinking water, that protects the drinking or discharge tube against back flowing drizzle from the drinkers mouth, thus to insure its sanitation.

Further objects and advantages of the invention reside in the details of construction and combination of parts, and in the mode of assembly and use of the device in connection with a present-day type of faucet.

In accomplishing the above mentioned and other objects and advantages, I have provided the improved details of construction, the preferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein FIG. 1 is a side view of the present drinking attachment as applied to a typical type of faucet.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal, axial section of the attachment, removed from the faucet discharge spout.

FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-section taken substantially on line 3-3 in FIG. 2.

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

In FIG. 1, designates the downwardly directed discharge end portion of the spout of a common type of home faucet such as that used for the delivery of water under pressure to a sink, wash basin or lavoratory; this particular type having its spout end threaded as at 10t for the connection of various attachment devices thereto.

The attachment drinking device of this invention is designated in its entirety by reference numeral 12. It comprises a short tubular body 13 that is formed integrally with or rigidly attached to a tubular aerator housing 14. This aerator housing is equipped at its top end with an interiorly threaded attaching collar 15 that is rotatably secured to the body 14 and which may be threaded onto the threaded end portion 10t of the spout in a water tight connection for the functional securement of the attachment 12 to the faucet.

It has been shown in FIG. 2 that the aerator 14, as thus applied, is the discharge outlet for the faucet, and contains the usual aerator equipment designated by numeral 16. Water discharged from the spout of the faucet 10 through the tubular housing 14 passes downwardly through a perforated aerating place 16' creating a slight back-pressure that is caused by the flow retarding influence of the plate.

The short, tubular body or valve housing 13 has a connecting passage 18 leading thereinto from the tubular body 14; this passage leads from the body 14 at a point above the perforated plate 16' to take advantage of the back pressure. Mounted in the outer end of the tubular body 13 is a tubular extension piece 20 that at its inner end provides a valve seat 23 for a ball shaped valve member 21 that is normally held by pressure of a coiled spring 22 against the valve seat 23. The valve member 21 is attached to the inner end of a valve stem 24 that extends outwardly within the tubular extension piece 20 and through and slightly beyond a packing gland 25 to serve as a valve member unseating head 26.

The top side of the tubular piece 20 is formed with a short, upwardly directed water discharge tube 27. When the ball shaped valve member 21 is caused to be unseated by its inward displacement from valve seat 23, water entering the tubular extension piece 20 from housing 13 and passage 18 will be discharged from the drinking tube 27, as a fountain.

The valve member 21 is normally held seated or closed against valve seat 23 by pressure of a coil spring 22 confined under compression in the body 13. The means herein provided for manually opening the valve member 21 comprises a lever or handle piece which is pivotally supported on a transversely directed shaft 31 that is rigidly fixed horizontally across the top edge of housing 20 at a point just within the packing gland 25, adjacent the base end of tube 27 as shown in FIG. 2. A coiled spring 34 is applied about an end portion of this shaft 31 which, at its opposite ends, is attached respectively to the shaft 31 and to the lever in such manner and under such tension as to normally cause the top, inner end portion of the lever which is widened and downwardly cupped to overlie the top end of the tube 27 as in FIG. 2, as a sanitary protection therefor. When the outer end of this lever is pressed downwardly, it is actuated against the projecting end head 26 of the valve stem 24 to actuate the stem inwardly thus to unseat the valve 21 to allow outflow of water from the tubular body 13 through the fountain tube 27. The flow of water is so established as to effect a desired upward discharge. With that downward action the lower end of lever 30 that effects opening of the valve 21, the top end portion of the lever 30 uncovers the top end of tube 27, as at 30x in FIG. 1 so as to not interfere with the outflowing stream or with the drinker. Upon the release of the lever 30, the spring 34 operates to return it to its normal position as shown in full lines in FIG. 1. At this latter position, it protects the spout from water spilling from the mouth of the user of the device.

As a feature of this construction, the inner end of tubular extension piece 20 is rotatably fitted in the outer end portion of the tubular housing 13 where it is sealed by an O-ring washer against leakage and is locked against turning or outward slipping by means of a set screw 38 threaded through the top wall of body 13 and tightened against the inner end of the extension piece 30.

Drinking attachments of this kind are desirable and serviceable for home use. They can be applied and used without interference with the normal uses of the faucet 10. To use, it is only required that the flow of water from the faucet be established through the housing 14. Then the user presses the lever 30 downwardly as indioated in dash lines in FIG. 1 to establish a fountain outflow from tube 27. The fountain stream may be regulated in most instances by regulating the stop valve that is usually associated with sinks, etc.

What I claim as new is:

1. A drinking fountain attachment for a water faucet having a spout from which water may be discharged under pressure; said attachment comprising an aerator housing equipped for its application to the said faucet spout for the discharge of water theret-hrough, a tubular valve housing attached at one end to said aerator housing and extended laterally therefrom; said valve housing having a water inlet opening thereinto at its inner end from said aerator housing, a fountain tube extending into the outer end portion of the valve housing and formed with a valve seat at that end, a valve member contained in said fountain tube to close against said valve seat under pressure, a stem extended outwardly within said fountain tube and slightly beyond its outer end, a drinking tube applied to and extended upwardly from said fountain v tube, and a valve opening lever pivotally mounted between its ends on the drinking tube; said lever having a flattened and downwardly arched upper end portion normally protectively overlying the discharge end of the drinking tube when the valve is closed, and having a lower end portion adapted to be pressed inwardly and downwardly against the extended end portion of the valve stem, thus to unseat the valve and swing the upper end of the lever clear of the drinking tube for an upward flow of water therefrom; and a coil spring confined under pressure in said valve housing to urge said valve member against its seat, and spring means acting against said valve opening lever to normally retain said valve opening lever in a drinking tube overlying position when said valve is closed.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,113,294 10/1914 Beckwith 23924 2,899,137 8/1959 Martin 23925 2,994,481 8/1961 Blumberg 239-25 3,030,029 4/1962 Slater 239-25 3,108,748 10/1963 Fiore 239-25 M. HENSON WOOD, JR., Primgry Examiner.

R. S. STROBEL, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A DRINKING FOUNTAIN ATTACHMENT FOR A WATER FAUCET HAVING A SPOUT FROM WHICH WATER MAY BE DISCHARGED UNDER PRESSURE; SAID ATTACHMENT COMPRISING AN AERATOR HOUSING EQUIPPED FOR ITS APPLICATION TO THE SAID FAUCET SPOUT FOR THE DISCHARGE OF WATER THERETHROUGH, A TUBULAR VALVE HOUSING ATTACHED AT ONE END TO SAID AERATOR HOUSING AND EXTENDED LATERALLY THEREFROM; SAID VALVE HOUSING HAVING A WATER INLET OPENING THEREINTO AT ITS INNER END FROM SAID AERATOR HOUSING, A FOUNTAIN TUBE EXTENDING INTO THE OUTER END PORTION OF THE VALVE HOUSING AND FORMED WITH A VALVE SEAT AT THAT END, A VALVE MEMBER CONTAINED IN SAID FOUNTAIN TUBE TO CLOSE AGAINST SAID VALVE SEAT UNDER PRESSURE, A STEM EXTENDED OUTWARDLY WITHIN SAID FOUNTAIN TUBE AND SLIGHTLY BEYOND ITS OUTER END, A DRINKING TUBE APPLIED TO AND EXTENDED UPWARDLY FROM SAID FOUNTAIN TUBE, AND A VALVE OPENING LEVER PIVOTALLY MOUNTED BETWEEN ITS ENDS ON THE DRINKING TUBE; SAID LEVER HAVING A FLATTENED AND DOWNWARDLY ARCHED UPPER END PORTION NORMALLY PROTECTIVELY OVERLYING THE DISCHARGE END OF THE DRINKING TUBE WHEN THE VALVE IS CLOSED, AND HAVING A 